SPIRIT is the keyword that brought the rise of South Korea education until ready to compete with other countries. They began by building educational infrastructure that was destroyed due to the Korean War, and then fix the quality.

Now across South Korea there are 19 258 public and private schools, from elementary education to higher education, with 11,951,298 students. Among which there are 218 colleges, which holds 2,357,881 students.

South Korea have traditionally emphasized the importance of education as a way to satisfy themselves and also to show social progress, and progress of the country. Departing from there, the South Korea Government formulate educational goals, which in a short sentence can be written as follows: Build a public character, the ability to live independently, to the common prosperity based on human values.

When used as a starting point for schools of education, the educational history of South Korea began during the kingdom of Goguryeo (37 BC-669), when the first formal school was established in 372 Taehak. Much earlier, in 286, Wang In from the kingdom of Baekje (18 BC-660) has been disseminating textbooks berabjad China to Japan (Royal Wae).

Modern schools was introduced in the reign of King Gojong, marked by the establishment Paichai Academy (1885) and then Ewha Girls School (1886). At that time was raging in Indonesia Aceh War (1874-1904).

From the reign of King Gojong, the advancement of education in the Korea Peninsula grew rapidly, until finally came the Japanese annexed Korea in 1910. Japan came out in 1945 following his surrender to the Allies in World War II. However, not long ago, in 1950, North Korean forces under the control of the Soviet Union to invade South Korea.

Crisis after crisis did not dampen the spirit of the nation of South Korea to continue education. During the Korean War, they learn without a classroom, sitting barefoot on the ground covered the sky. Whiteboard hooked on a tree.

People of South Korea described the crisis in the two Chinese characters, danger on the one hand and opportunities on the other. They tried to transform the crisis into the danger of chance. That's what South Korea is actually done in the past 40 years, according to Chong-jae Lee, President of Korean Educational Development Institute (Kedi).

System of education in South Korea is divided into six years of primary school, three years of junior high school, three years of high school, and four-year colleges. More for graduate education. Thus, the South Korea people spend at least 23 years of age in formal education.

Along with the establishment of the Republic of Korea in 1948, the government began to construct a system of modern education. Five years later, 1953, the government requires complete primary school for six years between the ages of 6 and 11 years. The number of children enrolled at primary level has reached 99.8 percent, and no more children are dropping out of school. In 2001 compulsory education was implemented at the middle school level.

Not excessive if South Korea is now hailed as one of the highest literacy rates in the world. And this is a fact that the South Korea people are educated to be a major major capital acceleration of economic growth the country has achieved over the past three decades ago.

Minister of Education and Human Resources of South Korea Ahn Byung-young explains, in 2004, this South Korean Government outlining the purpose of education in the three main objectives, namely human resource development, strengthening the educational welfare and development of decentralization and reform of the system.

Human resource development is believed to strengthen the country entered the competition in the international world.

Through the strengthening of education welfare education can overcome the gap and improve social integration. Meanwhile, to expand the country's development and competitiveness of the area is evenly distributed, prepared decentralization and reform of the education sector the focus areas of education systems.

College was given a role in the development of education, through a program called "Brain Korea 21" or BK21. The program aims to improve the human resources of South Korea entered the competition in the international community of the 21st century. Started since 1999 and is planned to last for seven years, until 2005. Through this program the government spent $ 1.4 trillion won (about USD 11.2 billion), to fund higher education with an emphasis on research activities. BK21 become a leading research unit in South Korean higher education.

The South Korea government does not stingy to spend money for the education sector. In 2004, education received 16.5 percent of total state budget. Of the budget, the basic education received the largest share compared to higher education.

Along with the policy of compulsory education is extended to nine years (elementary school through high school), the government attract additional funding to local education taxes, income taxes and consumption taxes.

in the behind South Korea educational success stories, there is widespread unrest in the community. Due to intense competition, each student is struggling desperately to prove his ability to penetrate the college dream. The subject matter learned in school were deemed to be inadequate and therefore requires additional studies through private lessons.

As usual in South Korea society, a quality education is the highest ambition, the parents are willing to pay whatever it costs for the success of their children in education. In fact, they often sacrifice a lot of time and money in order to win the tough competition.

According to Lee, most families had to spend 1/3 income to pay for private tutoring of their children. As a result, many families are frustrated when their children fail in education, even though the child has given up most of the time to learn.

Government's efforts to tackle the problem by opening a channel of education in government-owned educational television network, Educational Broadcasting System (EBS), apparently has not been able to fully stem the desire for children to attend private tutoring. EBS educational broadcasts with various subject matter.

Lee added that the government understands that there is still a long way to go to perfect the system of public education. While the real challenge ahead. Lee said again, "We face competition primarily in the Far East. Japan dreamed it would be better than today, China will too. So we had to fight hard."